Jenny Xu from Talofa Games shares her journey of creative growth

Being the co-founder of Talofa games, Jenny has been in the gaming industry for almost a decade. At a young age, she knows how to harness her talent in a way that can help her company progress.

According to Jenny, she created her first game 10 years ago when “flash was still a big thing”. Initially, she wanted to be an artist. However, a transitional shift took place from art to posting games on virtual platforms. These included Deviantart and Newgrounds, also referred to as flash portals. What really encouraged her to take her enthusiasm to the next level was the response of the audience.

The Beginning

Around 2015, her first company JCSoft was born. Experimenting with mobile games furthered strengthened Jenny’s bond with the gaming industry. Taking the positive feedback of her following into consideration, she started exploring the world of mobile games. The accelerator for JCSoft were the views that were shared by the fans on Youtube.

With the help of flash games, she could test what sort of content really attracted people. She further elaborates on her passion for developing games as well as creative content. One of the mobile games made it to the list of top 8 free games by Google play.

“ The whole process of seeing a game starting out from just a concept to tens of thousands and then millions of downloads is really thrilling but also humbling.”

Jenny states that she was an “introverted person”.Therefore, she felt happy when her work was being appreciated by the masses.” What I worked on could really strike a chord with people, “ she continues. Currently, a social augmented reality running game is undergoing development. It is a combination of this young entrepreneur’s gaming experiences and love of running. The goal is to help people lead a healthier lifestyle.

Talofa

JCSoft was a one-man show being managed at home with the help of family. Talofa is more about teamwork and working from different parts of the world. Hiring, building a remote team, and working with more people has been “thrilling, fun, scary, overwhelming” at times. Talofa has been doing a range of projects and that has contributed to Jenny’s entrepreneurial growth.

Maintaining online creativity

One can lose the serendipity of being in the office together and a certain creative spark. However, working remotely is a great opportunity to grow your team and develop team spirit. Spaces do not always have to be work-related. Jenny discusses the culture of organizing online events and virtual sessions such as game nights through sites such as Slack. That is the time when the brain juices start flowing.

Being in a space where you usually wouldn’t talk about work fosters a sense of comfort and promotes the exchange of ideas. Despite being far apart, this can create an environment conducive to teamwork.

Advice to founders

Talking about the gaming industry and other founders, Discord can prove to be quite beneficial. Since it gives you the freedom to set up various channels, individuals can interact in different environments. Due to this, the watercooler vibe is promoted which is found in a typical office. From game nights to libraries and weekly hangouts, there are all kinds of channels.

Hence, each team member feels a part of the community and their efforts remain recognized. Another part of remote work is being familiar with people’s struggles. How are they dealing with and adapting to the current situation? It is vital not to ignore the mental health of remote team members. There are individuals looking for jobs, some are trying to homeschool their children while others are juggling projects.

“You don’t have to set up an actual meeting, it can just be hanging out. Those can still happen online and a lot of the times that is when the creative stuff comes out.“